


The Way He Looks

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Teenagers, josh is a new kid, tyler is blind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 16:39:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8674837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The hoodie was gone.





	

Tyler reached out to touch his paper, feeling along the raised bumps expertly, mentally translating the poem he was supposed to be analyzing. His braille use had improved significantly in such a short period of time, having only lost his eyesight so recently. Jenna leaned over to Tyler.

“Hey, class is about to end. You should start packing your stuff up now.” Tyler nodded. Ever grateful for Jenna, he wondered what he would do without her. She was one of the only people who hadn’t at all avoided Tyler since the accident. If you asked Tyler’s other friends, they would deny that they had dropped him. They’d say “we’re busy,” or even just “we would never.” But they would. They did. _Where would I be without Jenna?_  

At that moment, the teacher spoke up.

“Class, before you go I would like to introduce the new student to you all. Josh, come on up.” The boy sitting behind Tyler picked up his head, blushing as he looked straight ahead, not daring to make eye contact with the other students in the class. He cleared his throat.

“I don’t think that’s necessary, ma’am.” Came his timid voice. Curious, Tyler perked up.

“Of course it is. Come on, then.” An unsure silence ensued before the sound of a chair scraping across the floor filtered into Tyler’s ears. A slight gust of wind graced him, presumably from the new kid walking quickly past his seat. The breeze came accompanied by a strong scent that could only be described as clean. 

Josh was stood at the front of the classroom, clammy palms rubbing together anxiously. He faced the whole of the classroom for the first time, swallowing harshly, but quickly realizing that none of them cared. Of course none of them cared about some punk new kid. _Why would they?_

“Uh, hi. I’m Josh. I just moved here from-” Josh’s voice was abruptly cut off by the bell ringing, signaling the end of the school day. The other, disinterested kids could not seem to get out of the classroom quick enough as they stood up and rushed out in an instant. That left Josh to make his way back to his seat, leaving only him, Tyler, and Jenna in the classroom alone.

“Ready?” Jenna spoke quietly, directed at Tyler as Josh was still packing up his things. Tyler nodded, and reached his arm out in search of Jenna’s own, and when he found it, he latched onto her and stood up. Josh watched on, realization immediately taking its course through its mind.

As Jenna and Tyler reached the door, Jenna stopped abruptly and looked back at Josh tentatively. Confused, Tyler stopped too.

“Do you live on the north side or south side?” Jenna’s questioning voice echoed loudly throughout the classroom. Josh looked up.

“Uh, north.”

“Want to come with us?” Jenna asked with a kind smile. Josh gave a quick look to Tyler to see him standing, still holding onto Jenna, with a slightly confused, yet positive smile etched onto his face.

“Sure.” Josh smiled gratefully and stood up to catch up with them.

 

* * *

 

The trio introduced themselves on their walk home, Josh taking notice of how close the other two were, trying to figure out what they were. _Friends? Boyfriend and girlfriend?_ Who knows? He supposed it wasn’t really his business.

Upon arriving at Tyler’s house, the three of them stopped as Jenna pulled keys out of her own backpack before unlocking Tyler’s front door with them.

“Bye, Ty. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jenna said, hugging Tyler tightly.

“See ya, Jen,” Tyler smiled, “bye Josh,” he continued, smile becoming slightly more shy, a faint blush dusting high on his cheeks. Josh noticed, but mentally blamed it on the cold weather.

“Bye,” was Josh’s curt response. With one last wave aimed in the direction of Jenna and Josh, Tyler disappeared inside of his house.

Josh began to continue his walk in the direction they had been walking in before, but stopped short when he noticed Jenna wasn’t following.

“You coming?”

“Nah, I live on the south side, I just usually walk Tyler home.” Josh was shocked, that was a long walk.

“Really? Wow. That’s . . . really nice of you to do for him.” Jenna gave a lopsided, modest smile at this.

“It’s the least I could do for him,” she shrugged, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Josh.”

“Yeah. See you then.” And they parted. Josh was slightly upset by their abrupt goodbye, as he had planned to ask Jenna more about Tyler when they were alone. _Are you guys dating or just close friends? Has Tyler always been blind? Does he manage it okay?_ But he supposed that those questions would have to be put off for another time.

 

* * *

 

“Dude, I swear. Katie was _totally_ checking you out today.” Tyler sighed. _Here we go again_.

They were sitting outside on the grass near the fountains, Tyler laying down with his head in Jenna’s lap as Jenna was leant back, hands in the grass, supporting her as she looked around. Tyler reached down with his right hand, putting it in the grass as well, feeling the rough texture of it, nostalgic of the times when he could look out his bedroom window and see the vibrant green of it all over.

“So?” Jenna rolled her eyes and looked down to Tyler who was seemingly looking back up at her, but Jenna knew it was just his head facing up.

“ _So,_ she likes you.”

“Okay. I’m not into her, though.” Another eye roll that went unnoticed by the boy.

“You’re never into _anyone_.”

“Do I need to be?”

Jenna opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by Josh’s arrival.

“Hey. Can I sit with you guys?”

“Course,” Tyler piped up quickly, finally sitting up. “You finding your way around alright?”

“Yeah, mostly. I’ve only had to go to my classes and the library, though.” Jenna and Tyler nodded before Josh spoke again. “How do you guys think you did on that English quiz?”

“So easy,” Jenna said, “what about you?”

“It was alright, I guess. I’m better at math, though.” Jenna snorted, Josh looked confused, wondering if he should be offended that she was laughing at him or if she was laughing at something else.

“You should tutor Tyler. He sucks at math.” Tyler chuckled.

“How would you like it if you had to solve equations in braille?” He wasn’t upset, though, wasn’t offended, so Josh figured he shouldn’t be, either. Jenna laughed.

“I would, you know. If you needed help,” Josh offered.

“Yeah, might have to take you up on that.”

 

* * *

 

Each day, the three of them walked home together after school, usually hanging out at Tyler’s house after, procrastinating their homework. But the times when they _did_ do their homework and Tyler would ask Josh for math help, he could never get over the feeling he got when Josh came close, touching his shoulder or his hand as he guided him through the problems.

 

* * *

 

One day as Jenna and Tyler were sat outside waiting for Josh, Tyler turned to Jenna.

“Jenna.” Jenna made a questioning noise but didn’t look up as she continued to read the book in her hands. “What does Josh look like?” Jenna now put her book down.

“Josh?” She chuckled. “Not something you could forget, that’s for sure. He’s got, uh, brown eyes and dark brown hair. A mohawk, kinda thing. He has piercings, though. Big gauges in his ears, and a nose ring. He’s kinda short, kinda muscular, kinda walking over here right now.” Tyler wiped the grin off his face and hid his blush as he heard Josh walk up next to them.

“Ready?” Josh asked, oblivious to the fact that the other two had just been talking about him.

“Yep!” Jenna quipped, nudging Tyler with a smirk, even though he couldn’t see it.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Jenna. Isn’t that the way to your house?” Josh questioned, pointing down a street adjacent to the one they were walking down on their way home. A street that did, in fact, lead to Jenna’s house.

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, I could walk Tyler home from here. All that talk about that project you have to do, you could get some extra time.” Josh offered genuinely.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Josh beamed.

“Is that okay with _you_?” Jenna leant in to whisper this to Tyler.

“Yeah, for sure.” Tyler confirmed.

“Okay, cool. Bye guys!”

Tyler and Josh continued their walk in silence, and Josh wondered if Tyler got the same feeling _he_ got when Tyler shifted his grip from Jenna’s arm to grab onto Josh’s own.

 

* * *

 

The next day in their shared English class, the teacher made the announcement that they would be beginning a new partner project. Immediately silencing the rushed whispers of “let’s be partners” that filled the class, the teacher followed up with the announcement that the partners had already been assigned, much to the students’ chagrin.

Tyler and Josh were assigned together, surprisingly, and Jenna had been partnered with Katie, the girl who had a crush on Tyler, and who most definitely disliked Jenna. Jenna groaned, unabashedly projecting her dismay.

After class, the three sat outside by the fountains again, relaxing for a bit before they began to head home.

“Where are you guys working on your project?” Jenna asked. Tyler shrugged.

“My house, probably.” Josh nodded in agreement.

“Ugh, well _Katie_ wants to do our project at the library,” Jenna said with a bitter scowl.

“Ew.” Tyler and Josh deadpanned in unison, causing all three of them to crack up.

“I guess I should get going, then,” Jenna said with a sigh, “talk to you guys later.” After Jenna left, there was a brief silence before Josh spoke up.

“Hey, Ty?” Tyler ignored the fluttering feeling he felt in his heart when he heard Josh use that nickname. He gave a questioning hum.

“Have you always been um. Blind?” Josh was hesitant in asking, not wanting to push Tyler into talking about something he didn’t want to talk about it. Tyler furrowed his brows deeply and drew in a shaky breath. Josh regretted asking.

“No. Bad accident last year,” he said shortly. That’s it. _Don’t pry, Josh_. He doesn’t.

 

* * *

 

Upon arriving at Tyler’s house, the two immediately entered Tyler’s bedroom. Josh removed his hoodie and placed it on the back of Tyler’s desk chair, keeping on the t-shirt he had on underneath. Tyler, however, took off his own t-shirt entirely. He faced away from Josh and stripped instinctively, didn’t even think about it. Josh couldn’t help but stare at the smooth planes of Tyler’s bare back as he did so. He noted the smoothness of his skin, how he longed to run his hands along it someday. The light that cast the most beautiful patterns on Tyler’s skin only added to the sweetness of the sight. Noticing he was getting carried away within his own head, he forced himself to look away until he noticed Tyler sitting down at his desk, moving Josh’s hoodie out of the way, putting it right next to his laptop.

“Hey, where’s your bathroom?”

“Down the hall, second door on the left.” While Josh was in the bathroom, Tyler found himself reaching out to touch Josh’s hoodie, memorizing the softness of the fabric, growing fond of it quickly. As Josh returned from the bathroom, he was about to say something to Tyler, but what he saw in front of him made him go silent.

Tyler was holding his hoodie to his face, seeming to be smelling it. Josh was slightly off-put at first, but quickly realized by the smile on his face that this was Tyler’s way of learning him. If he couldn’t see what he looked like, he would know what he smelled like. Josh bit his lip, watching on, then pretended to have only just entered the room when Tyler put the hoodie down.

 

* * *

 

Jenna wasn’t at school the next day, leaving Tyler and Josh to go home alone. They walked together as they normally did, making teasing conversation.

“You should teach me how to read braille.” Tyler’s face cracked into the widest of grins at this. “Really?” He asked with poorly-concealed excitement and appreciation. No one had asked him to teach them braille before, nobody bothered. Not even Jenna.

“Of course.”

That day, Tyler became the teacher to Josh, rather than the other way around.

“Here, look. See these two dots before the letter? That means it’s a capital letter. Wait, close your eyes.” Josh obeyed. “Give me your hand.” Josh obeyed. Tyler held onto Josh’s hand gently, guiding his fingers over the bumps on the paper, and ignoring the spark he felt when their hands were so tightly pressed together.

“See?” Tyler asked in a small voice, and Josh told him yes, even though he wasn’t looking at the paper. But he didn’t have his eyes closed, either. He was looking directly at Tyler the whole time, studying his smooth skin and dark eyelashes, the slope of his nose, basking in the undeniable intimacy of the moment. Josh bit his lip again, just in case he couldn’t hold himself back.

 

* * *

 

The next day in English, the class was silent, save for Josh, Jenna, and Tyler who were conversing casually, ignoring the teacher’s annoyed glares.

“Did you guys finish your project?” Jenna asked.

“Mostly. Finishing touches, you know,” Josh said before turning to the other boy, “Oh that reminds me, I left my hoodie at your house yesterday, Tyler” Josh addressed Tyler as Jenna packed up her things.

“You can come get it today, can’t you?”

“I would, but I have to go to the doctor. Can you bring it to school tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure.” The bell rang, the shrill sound failing to interrupt their conversation.

“Thanks. I can’t walk home with you guys today, my mom’s picking me up for my appointment right now. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Josh spoke. After saying their goodbyes to Josh, Jenna and Tyler stood alone in the classroom.

“Jenna.”

“Yes.”

“I love Josh.” Jenna laughed.

“I know.”

“You know?”

“It’s obvious.”

“So . . .”

“So you-” Jenna was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing and she groaned.

“I’m so sorry, Tyler. I completely forgot I was scheduled to babysit my parents’ friends’ kids right after school. I have to go. Will you make it home alright?” Jenna bit her lip, knowing Tyler wasn’t that good getting around alone.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I should be fine. Have fun babysitting those brats,” Tyler smirked jokingly.

“Ha-ha. I’ll stop by later, okay? Bye, Ty.”

 

* * *

 

Tyler hated walking back home alone, but he could never tell Jenna that. No, she already did too much for him, he couldn’t complain, couldn’t risk losing her. But the guilt couldn’t replace the disdain he felt whenever he had to use a walking stick to feel his way around and guide him. The stick was what made his friends leave him in the first place. It was a target on his back, a sticker on his forehead that to the other kids didn’t say “I’m Blind,” it somehow read “I’m Weak.” _Whatever_ , Tyler thought as he tapped his way down the street. _Jenna and Josh know how to read_.

After making it back to his house alone, in about double the time it would have taken him to get there with someone else, Tyler collapsed down onto his bed, facing up towards the ceiling.

He thought about his crush on Josh, and what he should do about it. Obviously he wouldn’t tell him directly, but he still wondered if there was even a _possibility_ that Josh felt the same way. _I mean, he_ is _really nice to me_ . He shook this thought out of his head. _Just friends_ . Speaking of friends, _what would Jenna have said if she continued talking about Josh earlier?_

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of someone turning the doorknob and entering his bedroom.

“Ugh, _Jenna_ , I’ve been thinking about this all day, I can’t stop. This is so lame. Am I supposed to tell Josh I like him? What were you saying before?” Tyler stopped talking, waiting for a response that never came.

“Jen?” Again, he waited, anticipating Jenna’s response. Surely, she would know what to do. However, he wasn’t greeted by the familiar voice of his best friend. Instead, he felt a pair of lips pressed softly against his own. It was a soft kiss; a shy, sweet peck. But Tyler’s mind was too focused on _why is Jenna kissing me oh God does she like me this will ruin our friendship_ to evaluate whether or not he enjoyed the kiss. Confused, he reached his hand out to touch something, someone, _anyone_ , but the door was shut before he had time, leaving Tyler alone once more, in complete silence.

He felt dirty. He felt sick. He was shaking. _Has Jenna had a crush on me this whole time? Am I that oblivious? I thought she knew I was gay! She knew I liked Josh! Why would she kiss me?_

Left alone to his thoughts once more, Tyler resumed his previous ministrations of laying on his bed, face up to the empty ceiling.

Before he knew it, his bedroom door was being ripped open again, the sound of person barging into his room coming with it.

“Hey, Ty. Sorry I’m so late, the kids’ parents were late and I couldn’t get out I . . .” Tyler’s mind blocked out Jenna’s voice entirely as his body worked on auto-pilot. _If Jenna hadn’t been here before, who had? Who kissed me?_ Tyler immediately sat up, standing up to feel his way to his desk, where Josh’s hoodie surely wa- oh.

The hoodie was gone.

He shuffled around some more, feeling all over the desk, chair, and surrounding area for the familiar fabric of Josh’s hoodie, but it was nowhere to be found.

“Jenna, did you take Josh’s hoodie?”

“What? No, why would I take it?”

“Do you see it laying around here anywhere?”

“No. Did you lose it?” A shy smile spread on Tyler’s face as he came to the realization. _Josh kissed me._

“Tyler? You okay?”

“Yeah.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the short film "The Way He Looks" (quite a bit of it is changed but the credit still goes to the film)  
> PS y'all the film is so good watch it 10/10


End file.
